Can piercing device



Oct. 21, 1952 w. E. SHANDS cm PIERCING DEVICE Filed March 28, 1952 INVENTOR WILLIAM E. SHANDS FIG. 7.

ATTORNEYS Patented Qct. 21, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CAN PIERCING avies 7 William E. Shands, San Diego, Calif.

Application March 28, 1952, Serial No. 279,069

My invention has to do with improvements in can piercing devices and has as its principal object the provision of a device of this character which, in a single operation, pierces a pouring hole in the top of a can adjacent the rim, forms the can about the punched hole so as to provide a pour'ingspout, and punches a vent hole in the can at or adjacent the center of its top.

Another object is to provide a device of this character wherein provision is made for adjusting the device so as to compensate for cans of different diameters.

A further object is to provide .a device of this character which is extremely simple and economical in construction.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

Without intending thereby to limit the broader scop of the invention, except as defined by the appended claims, I shall now describe preferred embodiments thereof, for which purpose I shall refer to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a view showing my device, in side elevation, being used upon a can, shown partly in section, and partly in side elevation;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan View;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a plan view taken on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail showing parts of the device and the can in section;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the can showing the formation of the pouring spout;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary top plan view showing a modification; and

Fig. 8 is a section taken on line 8--8 of Fig. 7.

The device comprises a pair of handles 5, 6 of channeled cross section, crossed and pivoted together by pivot pin 8 and terminating at their outer ends in jaws I0, II respectively. The handles are urged apart by a spring it] which is looped intermediate its end about the pivot pin 8.

The lower jaw l0 terminates in a. right angularly-disposed upward extension which is provided with an upwardly opening V-shaped lot 2i and the outer or left-hand surface of th extension bordering the slot is beveled as shown at 22.

Upper jaw l i is relatively longer than the lower jaw and has two depending longitudinally spaced conical piercing pins 25, 26, each of which is mounted in the jaw by having a reduced diameter portion a extend through an opening in the jaw, and the top end of th reduced diameter portion is then headed at 251).

6 Claims. (on. 304.1)

Piercing pin 25 is so positioned that its pointed end is forwardly of but adjacent the beveled surface of the extension 20, being closely enough adjacent that if the jaws are moved togethe the periphery of the base portion of th pin engages said beveled surface. Pin 26 is spaced forward-1y from pin 25 a distance suflicient to enable itto pierce a hole substantially in the center of the top 30 of the can'C. The top end surface of extension 25 is also beveled at 32 so as to insure that said extension will positively engage-beneath the edge of the annular flange 34 of the can cover.

In operation, with the jaws open, the user places the top end of the extension 20 against the bottom edge of the flange 34 (Fig. 5) and presses the handles to ether, thus causing piercing pin 25 to pierce a hole 35 in the top of the can, forcing the metal of the top of the can downwardly as shown at 3?, while pin 26 pierces a hole 38 in like manner. Further movement of the jaws together causes the base portion of the pin 25 to form the metal of the side wall of the can and the flange 34 outwardly in a curved manner to provide a spout 39 as shown in Fig. 6. The user may reduce the amount of pressure on the handles required for forcing the handles together, by pressing downwardly on the other end of the outer end of the jaw II as the handle is compressed, thus assisting in causing pin 26 to pierce the can.

For cans of large diameter, if it be desired always to pierce the hole 38 in the center of the can top, it maybe desirable to provide longitudinal adjustability of the top jaw so that the distance between the pins may be adjusted, and in Figs. '7 and 8 I show such a modification. Here the channeled top jaw Ha carries a channeled slidable portion 49, the latter portion having in its bottom wall a longitudinal slot 42. A set screw 43 extends through the slot and is threaded into the underlying portion of jaw Ila. Pin 26 is mounted, as before described, on the outer end portion of the slidable part 48. Thus it is possible easily to adjust the length of the jaw and thus the distance between the piercing pins as to insure that the punched hole 38 will always be in the center of the top of the can regardless of the diameter of the can.

It will be apparent that other specific structures by which one spout forming jaw may be made to engage under the peripheral top flange of the can and another jaw, carryin the piercing pins, may be mounted in pivotal relation to the first named jaw, and the latter jaw moved relative to the first named jaw, will be operativ to practice the invention.

I claim:

1. In a device for piercing holes in the top of a can and forming a contiguous side portion of said can into a spout shape about one of said holes, a pair of jaws pivotally assembled for relative swinging movement, the upper one of said jaws having a pair of depending, longitudinally spaced, conical, hole piercing pins arranged so that when the 'upper'jaw moves towards the lower jaw each of said pins pierces a hole in the top of said can, the other of said jaws presenting a pair of transversely spaced, relatively sharp-projections engageable beneath the top peripheral flange of said can, said projections being so-positioned relative to the rear oneofi said pins/thatas said pin pierces said can it will deform the contiguous side wall portion of the can outwardlybetween said projections, whereby to form a spout about the 'hole pierced by said pin.

2. The device ofc1aim- 1 whereinsaid-upper jawis adjustable; in? length whereby the distance between its carried pins may be varied.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said-upper jaw comprises relatively axially'slidable portions and wherein one of'said pins depends from one ofsaid portions :and the other'of said pinstdepends from the otherof said portions.

4; The device of claim 1 which includesa handle for 'each of said jaws and spring means urging said handles.apart..

5. In a device for piercing holes in the top of a can and forming a contiguous side portion of said can into a spout shape about one of said holes, a pair of jaws pivotally connected together at one end for relative swinging movement, the upper one of said jaws having a pair of longitudinally spaced, conical depending can piercing pins and said lower jaw terminating at its outer end in bifurcations providing an upwardly openingaV-shaped recess therebctween; said bifurcations being so p'ositionedthatwhen the jaws are moved together the rearmost of said pins is immediately adjacent and immediately in front of said recess.

6. In a device for piercing holes in the top of a can -and forming a contiguous side portion of said. can into a spout shape about one of said holes, a pair of jaws pivotally connected together atone end for relative swinging movement, the upper one of said jaws having a pair of longitudinally spaced'; conical depending can piercins pins-andsaid lower jaw terminating at its outer end in sharp-ended bifurcations providing an upwardlyopeningV-shaped recess therebetween, said bifurcations being so positioned that when the'jaws are moved together the rearmost of said pins is immediately adjacent and immediately in front of saidrecesso WHLIAM. E- SHANDS.

N 0 references cited. 

